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The Official CONCACAF WebsiteTue, 31 Mar 2015 20:44:44 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Costa Rica names Valverde as women’s head coachhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/costa-rica-names-valverde-as-womens-head-coach
http://www.concacaf.com/article/costa-rica-names-valverde-as-womens-head-coach#commentsTue, 13 Jan 2015 22:35:57 +0000Chelsie Mora/?post_type=article&p=90821The Costa Rican Football Federation announced Monday that Amelia Valverde has been named head coach of the women’s national team.]]>

Amelia Valverde (pictured) was named head coach of the Costa Rica women’s national team on January 12, 2015. (Photo courtesy of fedefutbol.com)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – The Costa Rican Football Federation announced Monday that Amelia Valverde has been named head coach of the women’s national team.

Valverde replaces Garabet Avedissian, who stepped away from the post on January 5 just months after guiding the Ticas to their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup berth.

“There is little time for preparation and no one knows better how to guide the national team than Amelia,” said Adrian Gutierrez, president of the Costa Rican National Teams Committee. “She knows the team. She has a very good acceptance from the players and she has been with them during the entire process. She has the sufficient capability to take charge.”

Valverde has been with the national team since 2011 in various roles, including as the conditioning coach and, later, as assistant coach of the senior and under-20 teams.

“I’m very aware of the commitment and the responsibility that goes with this,” said Valverde. “We are going to give it our all in taking advantage of the time that we have in order to prepare the team.

“It gives me a lot of satisfaction that they are have trust in my work.”

For the Women’s World Cup, Costa Rica – runner-up at the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship – is slated to open it Group E schedule on June 9 Spain in Montreal, Canada.

“We are going to compete in the World Cup,” finished Valverde. “We know that the competition is not easy on the global stage, it is very demanding, but we are going to work on that to be able to go there well prepared.”

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/costa-rica-names-valverde-as-womens-head-coach/feed0Trinidad falls to Ecuador in WWC playoffhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-falls-to-ecuador-in-wwc-playoff
http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-falls-to-ecuador-in-wwc-playoff#commentsWed, 03 Dec 2014 16:45:43 +0000Chelsie Mora/?post_type=article&p=89617Ecuador secured the 24th and final berth for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, striking late to defeat host Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 on Tuesday in an intercontinental playoff at Hasely Crawford Stadium.]]>

Action from the intercontinental playoff for a place in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup between Ecuador and host Trinidad & Tobago (red jersey) on December 2, 2014, at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. (Photo: Allan V. Crane)

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago — Ecuador secured the 24th and final berth for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, striking late to defeat host Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 on Tuesday in an intercontinental playoff at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

From 10-yards out, Monica Quinteros headed home a left-sided free kick for the two-legged series’ only goal one minute into second-half stoppage time.

Trinidad, the Caribbean champion and fourth-place finisher at the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, had multiple opportunities to take the initial lead. The best chance was generated by Kennya Cordner, whose bicycle kick hit the crossbar in the 60th minute.

Four teams will now represent CONCACAF at Saturday’s Women’s World Cup draw in Ottawa: Canada (host), United States (CONCACAF champion), Costa Rica (runner-up) and Mexico (third place).

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-falls-to-ecuador-in-wwc-playoff/feed0Trinidad women target history, World Cup placehttp://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-target-history-world-cup-place
http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-target-history-world-cup-place#commentsTue, 02 Dec 2014 19:41:52 +0000Chelsie Mora/?post_type=article&p=89582With history beckoning, Trinidad & Tobago will be gunning for outright victory on Tuesday, when it hosts Ecuador in the second leg of their intercontinental playoff for a place in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.]]>

Trinidad & Tobago (pictured) will host Ecuador in the second leg of their intercontinental playoff for a place in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup on December 2, 2012. (Photo: Mexsport)

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – With history beckoning, Trinidad & Tobago will be gunning for outright victory on Tuesday, when it hosts Ecuador in the second leg of their intercontinental playoff for a place in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

A draw with goals will see the South Americans qualify, while a second straight scoreless stalemate will trigger extra time and, possibly, penalties. Trinidad head coach Randy Waldrum, however, is hoping to avoid all these scenarios.

“We have to expect a win,” said Waldrum. “We want a victory. Anything short of that will be a disappointment for everybody involved. But even so, this team has done extremely, extremely well.

“Because of how the first stage tied 0-0, I think you’ll see a game that will be fairly open. A tie with goals scored works for them, but a tie with no goals scored, and we still have to play more.”

The Houston Dash manager also believes that both teams will mix attacking prowess with an abundance of caution as they press for the ideal result at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

“If they (the Ecuadorians) had won by multiple goals, they could come and sit in a bit,” Waldrum added. “So, I think you’ll see them try to go get the game, and I think you will see from us, obviously, try to go get the win.”

“I think you will see both teams be smart about going and feeling each other out a bit early on. But, I don’t think you’ll see either team really sitting back.”

The road has been a long one for the Soca Princesses. They battled their way to the final four at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in the United States last October, falling on penalty kicks to Costa Rica in the semifinals and losing to Mexico in the match for third place.

After undergoing intense preparation over the past week, the Caribbean champion is understandably champing at the bit.

“We’re ready,” Waldrum concluded. “We’re kind of at that point where we are just anxious to get into it.

“It’s undoubtedly the biggest women’s football match in T&T’s history.”

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-target-history-world-cup-place/feed0Trinidad women banking on home supporthttp://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-banking-on-home-support
http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-banking-on-home-support#commentsTue, 25 Nov 2014 18:21:41 +0000Rene Rodriguez/?post_type=article&p=89526Trinidad & Tobago is hoping that the anticipated overwhelming local support will pay big dividends, when it hosts Ecuador on December 2 in the second leg of their FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff.]]>

Trinidad & Tobago (pictured) will face visiting Ecuador in the second leg of their intercontinental playoff for a place in FIFA Women’s World Cup on December 2, 2014, in Port of Spain. (Photo: Mexsport)

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago — Trinidad & Tobago is hoping that the anticipated overwhelming local support will pay big dividends, when it hosts Ecuador on December 2 in the second leg of their FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff.

With a place at Canada 2015 at stake, the sides battled to a scoreless draw in the series opener earlier this month.

Most of the players have already arrived and started training for the crucial encounter at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. Sweden-based Ahkeela Mollon stressed that the team was hoping for strong hometown support to drive its qualification bid.

“We’ve been training really hard for the past week and the sessions have been quite good,” said the 29-year-old. “The mood is really good at the moment and we’re looking forward to this week with all the players assembling in camp.

“We’re all really excited about the 12th Warrior and the fans coming out and giving us that support. We’re at home but the key for us is to stay focus and humbled and go out there and play as we know we can and get the result.”

Forward Dernelle Mascall praised the quality of the preparation, but agreed that crowd support would play a key role in the motivation to win.

“We’ve been having two sessions a day so it’s really intense, but it’s all down to ensuring we’re physically ready for the match,“ she pointed out. “I think we’re all really excited about playing before a large home crowd. We want that 12th warrior behind us. We would have liked to have qualified out of the CONCACAF stage, but this opportunity to do it at home is really a great opportunity for us.”

After finishing fourth in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship played last month in the United States, Trinidad missed out on automatic qualification for the Women’s World Cup. That placement, however, gave it a playoff lifeline against Ecuador.

Head coach Randy Waldrum noted that training has gone well and that the squad will be ready for its upcoming assignment.

“It’s going to be a big week ahead and I think everyone is ready for it,” Waldrum said. “I know the girls and the staff are all eager and focused and the people who have to get things ready off the field of play at the TTFA (Trinidad & Tobago Football Association) and the other personnel are all doing what they have to.”

Trinidad is aiming to become the first team from the Caribbean to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-banking-on-home-support/feed0Trinidad women aim to reach new heights in Ecuadorhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-aim-to-reach-new-heights-in-ecuador
http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-aim-to-reach-new-heights-in-ecuador#commentsFri, 07 Nov 2014 17:56:03 +0000Evelyn Benavides/?post_type=article&p=88738Trinidad & Tobago has one lofty goal -- to become the first Caribbean team to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup.]]>

Trinidad & Tobago (pictured) will meet host Ecuador on November 8, 2014, in the first leg of their playoff for a 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup berth. (Photo: Mexsport)

QUITO, Ecuador — Trinidad & Tobago has one lofty goal — to become the first Caribbean team to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

So, it’s quite appropriate the Soca Princesses will have to go to great heights to qualify for Canada 2015. They meet Ecuador in the first leg of a playoff series here Saturday for what will be the 24th and final spot.

Playing in the capital of this South American country always has been a challenge for Ecuador’s rivals, given that the city is 9,350 feet (2,800 meters).

T&T head coach Randy Waldrum took up the invitation of his friend, Mexico manager Leonardo Cuellar, and had his team train in Mexico City for four days to become accustomed to the rarefied air.

“It was difficult because we are not used to training in that type of atmosphere,” Trinidad standout forward Kennya Cordner said, “but for me personally, it wasn’t that bad because I have played in Mexico several times before.”

By virtue of finishing fourth at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship last month in the United States, Trinidad failed to earn a direct World Cup berth, but it did secure an intercontinental playoff meeting with Ecuador – the third-place team in South America.

The Caribbean champion returned home for a few days ahead of traveling to Mexico City.

“It has helped us a lot because most of the girls have to get adapted to altitude, even if it’s going to be much higher in Ecuador,” added Cordner. “Most everybody was coping with it.

In the CONCACAF competition, Trinidad played a pair of 120-minute marathons 48 hours apart. It fell in a penalty-kick shootout to Costa Rica in the semifinals, before dropping an extra-time decision to Mexico in the match for third place.

Cordner figured that her teammates will be able to focus better knowing they will play only once on the road and then have three weeks to get ready for the return match at home on December 2.

“That was a bit tough,” she said of the two games at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. “This one is going to be much easier, despite the altitude. We just have to go out there and get the job done. Altitude is just a mindset. That’s not the issue right now. We have to go out and get those three points on Saturday.”

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-women-aim-to-reach-new-heights-in-ecuador/feed0Costa Rica plans for Women’s World Cup pushhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/costa-rica-plans-for-womens-world-cup-push
http://www.concacaf.com/article/costa-rica-plans-for-womens-world-cup-push#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 20:48:17 +0000Rene Rodriguez/?post_type=article&p=88600As much as Costa Rica women’s football has improved over the last several years, national team head coach Garabet Avedissian realizes there still a ways to go for his side to reach the next level.]]>

CHESTER, Pennsylvania — As much as Costa Rica women’s football has improved over the last several years, national team head coach Garabet Avedissian realizes there still a ways to go for his side to reach the next level.

After finishing as runner-up at the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship (CWC) and securing a berth in the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Ticas are targeting additional improvement as in preparation for Canada 2015.

“It’s clear, the differences are obvious,” Avedissian said after a 6-0 loss to the United States in the CWC final on Sunday. “There is no way that we can claim that there are [no] differences and fix them all in one clear stroke. We have to continue to prepare for the World Cup and maybe the preparation for the World Cup is a little different than the preparation for this CONCACAF tournament. Idoesn’t mean we haven’t prepared properly here, but for a World Cup when you’re choosing your friendly matches, you need to choose matches that are at the level of the World Cup, maybe a little higher level.”

To do so, the Central American side will go on tour and plans to play a series of matches against some of the best international teams.

“We have to have a high-level tour in terms of the friendlies that we play,” he said. “We know we have to keep working. We have to keep working for the long term as well because these distances are not closed in one day. They are closed day-by-day.

“If you look at the differences, the gap between us and Mexico has closed. You can see it’s closed. So, day by day we hope to close this gap with the USA.”

Costa Rica defeated Mexico in its Group B opener, 1-0.

Midfielder Shirley Cruz of France’s Paris Saint-Germain is the lone squad member to play professionally abroad, so getting top-flight international matches is essential.

“For the World Cup for what you really need is high-level friendlies,” Avedissian finished. “We’re going to play five or six of them at the level of the World Cup. We’re going to play teams from Europe or teams that have qualified for the World Cup. You experience a little bit of a different rhythm or competition.”

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/costa-rica-plans-for-womens-world-cup-push/feed0WWC spot secured, Mexico’s Cuellar looks to futurehttp://www.concacaf.com/article/wwc-spot-secured-mexicos-cuellar-looks-to-future
http://www.concacaf.com/article/wwc-spot-secured-mexicos-cuellar-looks-to-future#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 19:13:12 +0000Chelsie Mora/?post_type=article&p=88589With slightly more than seven months to the kickoff of the FIFA Women's World Cup (WWC), Mexico has time to make some vital improvements. ]]>

Head coach Leonardo Cuellar (pictured) led Mexico to a spot in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup by guiding the Tricolor to a third-place finish in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship. (Photo: Mexsport)

CHESTER, Pennsylvania — With slightly more than seven months to the kickoff of the FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC), Mexico has time to make some vital improvements.

Getting off to better starts could be at the top of head coach Leonardo Cuellar’s training agenda.

The Mexicans found the opening stages of three 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship games to be a challenge. They conceded an eighth minute goal in a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, fell behind in a 3-1 win over Jamaica, and struggled early during Sunday’s 4-2 extra-time victory over Trinidad & Tobago in the third-place match before taking a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute.

“The beginning of every half has been a problem for us,” Cuellar said. “An early goal by Costa Rica and then Jamaica. Even in this game (match for third place) that we went ahead, we scored first, the first 15 minutes Trinidad & Tobago was better. There was something we needed to correct immediately. We were not ready for the battle. We were not ready to compete.”

Cuellar hopes to have many opportunities to put the Tricolor on the right track ahead of Canada 2015. Mexico will hold a training camp with about two-thirds of the current roster attending.

“That will give some us some kind of continuity,” he noted.

There are plans for a trip to China in January, the Cyprus Cup in March with fellow WWC qualifiers Australia, England, Canada and Korea Republic, as well as friendlies leading up to the finals.

“We’re going to try to take advantage of the FIFA dates and travel and have teams come to Mexico that they might be interested on the way to Canada or if they are playing Canada before,” Cuellar added. “The budget is there. We already anticipated that. That’s why it was imperative for us to qualify, not to lose all the funding that we have.”

Cuellar said he was “definitely” relieved to earn a third-ever berth after also guiding Mexico to the 1999 and 2011 WWCs.

“When you coach a national team and when you also are in charge of a program, you always have your job on the line,” the 60-year-old finished. “It could be very difficult to go back to Mexico without a ticket.”

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/wwc-spot-secured-mexicos-cuellar-looks-to-future/feed0CONCACAF Women’s Championship USA 2014 Recaphttp://www.concacaf.com/video/concacaf-womens-championship-usa-2014-recap
http://www.concacaf.com/video/concacaf-womens-championship-usa-2014-recap#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 18:00:47 +0000Chelsie Mora/?post_type=video&p=88577]]>]]>http://www.concacaf.com/video/concacaf-womens-championship-usa-2014-recap/feed0Four years on, Mexico’s road to WWC a longer onehttp://www.concacaf.com/article/four-years-on-mexicos-road-to-wwc-a-longer-one
http://www.concacaf.com/article/four-years-on-mexicos-road-to-wwc-a-longer-one#commentsTue, 28 Oct 2014 12:24:19 +0000Rene Rodriguez/?post_type=article&p=88533Mexico earned a 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup berth following a 4-2 extra-time victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday in the third place game of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship (CWC). It will be the Tricolor’s second consecutive trip to the competition and third overall.]]>

Mexico (pictured) qualified for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating Trinidad & Tobago in the match for third in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship on October 26, 2014, in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. (Photo: Mexsport)

CHESTER, Pennsylvania – Mexico earned a 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup berth following a 4-2 extra-time victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday in the third place game of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship (CWC). It will be the Tricolor’s second consecutive trip to the competition and third overall.

The process of securing a place at Canada 2015, though, was not as straight forward as the one four years earlier. As host of the 2010 CONCACAF qualifying tournament, Mexico finished as runner-up, defeating the United States in the semifinals, before falling 1-0 to Canada in the final.

This time around, the Mexicans dropped a 1-0 decision to Costa Rica in its opener, but went on to beat Martinique (10-0) and Jamaica (3-1) for a second-place finish in Group B.

In the semifinal meeting against the United States, head coach Leonardo Cuellar rested multiple starters. A 3-0 loss followed, setting up a key meeting in the match for third place against the Caribbean champion.

Though it took 120 minutes to do so, Cuellar’s player personnel strategy paid off, as a pair of goals by Veronica Charlyn Corral – one in each extra period — proved to be the difference.

“Our qualification has brought a sense of joy and relief,” said Cuellar. “I am very proud of the team and the federation’s commitment to women’s soccer. We want to keep learning.”

Corral’s goals gave her four for the tournament. The 23-year-old forward, who has also represented Mexico in three FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups, will now have a chance to play in her second Women’s World Cup.

“We have time to work and to arrive well to the World Cup,” said Corral, the all-time scoring leader in CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship history with 14 goals. “The fourth goal was the decisive one.”

Trinidad & Tobago’s Mariah Shade (#3) celebrates after scoring against Mexico in the third place match of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship on October 26, 2014, in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. (Photo: Mexsport)

MIAMI – CONCACAF confirmed Monday the schedule for Trinidad & Tobago’s participation in the intercontinental play-in series, which will qualify an additional team to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015.

The Trinidadians, by virtue of their fourth-place finish in the recently concluded CONCACAF Women’s Championship USA 2014, has qualified for the playoff and will take on the South American Football Confederation’s third-place finisher, Ecuador, in a home-and-away playoff beginning November 8 in South America.

The first of the two-game series, an aggregate goal matchup administered by FIFA, will take place at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa in Quito, kicking off at 2 PM local time (2 PM EST) on November 8. The return leg is scheduled to be played on December 2 in Trinidad & Tobago.

The winner of the series will earn one of the three remaining available World Cup berths. Twenty-one finalists are confirmed, including an all-time high of four teams from CONCACAF.

CONCACAF Women’s Championship champion United States – Women’s World Cup champion in 1991 and 1999 — has qualified for its seventh consecutive Women’s World Cup, while CONCACAF runner-up Costa Rica will debut. The two CONCACAF Women’s Championship finalists will be joined in Canada by third-place CONCACAF Championship finisher Mexico.

World Cup host Canada also has its spot assured in the tournament. Trinidad & Tobago will increase the number to five CONCACAF representatives, if it emerges victorious from the series versus Ecuador.

The draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 will take place on December 6, in the National Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau.

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidad-ecuador-wwc-playoff-dates-confirmed/feed0Wambach’s goals go beyond those she scoreshttp://www.concacaf.com/article/wambachs-goals-go-beyond-those-she-scores
http://www.concacaf.com/article/wambachs-goals-go-beyond-those-she-scores#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 20:41:10 +0000Rene Rodriguez/?post_type=article&p=88525If this is what Abby Wambach can do when she is at 60 percent, it is scary to contemplate how well the United States striker will play when at full throttle.]]>

Abby Wambach (pictured) hopes to play in her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup with the United States next year in Canada. (Photo: Mexsport)

PHILADELPHIA — If this is what Abby Wambach can do when she is at 60 percent, it is scary to contemplate how well the United States striker will play when at full throttle.

Wambach equaled her career-high, scoring four goals, three by headers, in the Americans’ 6-0 win over Costa Rica in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship final on Sunday.

“All you can do really when Abby Wambach is playing like this is to pray, pray that they don’t get the ball to her,” Costa Rica coach Garabet Avedissian said.

Despite a virtuoso performance, Wambach admitted to not being at top form. She has seven months to find it before Canada 2015 kicks off.

“I want to be continually, gradually climbing, hopefully not coming across any setbacks in terms of injury,” said the 34-year-old, who is the USA’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup play with 13 goals. “But the reality is it’s a long seven months. There is a lot of stress, a lot of responsibility and pressure that goes into it.”

Wambach, the all-time international scoring leader for men or women at 177 goals and counting, still has one honor missing from her resume — a world championship.

“If we can get outside of our own selves, play as a unit, not just the 11 on the field, but in the World Cup, the 23 that are on the squad can play as a unit … we can whatever we would want,” she expressed. “That’s something that’s very special. As long as we don’t get our egos involved … this team is going to win a World Cup.”

The Americans, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, hasn’t won a world championship since 1999. They will prepare by participating in a tournament in Brazil in December, holding a January camp and competing at the Algarve Cup, before a series of friendlies.

“We have an opportunity to win a World Cup, we really do,” Wambach finished. “If this team can manufacture seven consistent games — they don’t have to be great-looking games — where several players step up to the plate, where certain players shine when the light is shining so bright, then maybe we have a really great chance of winning the World Cup.”

]]>http://www.concacaf.com/article/wambachs-goals-go-beyond-those-she-scores/feed0CWC: Award Winnershttp://www.concacaf.com/article/cwc-award-winners
http://www.concacaf.com/article/cwc-award-winners#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 03:39:44 +0000Rene Rodriguez/?post_type=article&p=88519The Technical Study Group for the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship named its award winners following the final between the United States and Costa Rica on Sunday at PPLPark]]>

Abby Wambach (Center) was honored as Golden Boot winner in the CWC 2014 received the award from Sonia Bien-Aime, a FIFA and CONCACAF Executive Committee member and President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (Photo: Mexsport)

CHESTER, Pennsylvania – The Technical Study Group for the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship named its award winners following the final between the United States and Costa Rica on Sunday at PPLPark

** No final was held in either 1993 (played in New Hyde Park, New York, USA) or 1994 (played in Montreal, Canada). The champion was the winner of a final group. The USA won the title on both occasions.